Dwarves
History Pre-Awakening Even in their earliest days, the hardy dwarven people were not much for the company of others. Fiercely independent and industrious, the dwarves of the ancient days saw the world as theirs to master. Mountains moved when the High King demanded it, and forests fell when the cities needed expansion. Unfortunately, such uncontrolled spread incited less than favorable first contact with the elves. The two races would come to war with each other over the span of a century, with what had seemed like placid and pacifistic elves showing that even they could fight with stunning ferocity when provoked. In the end, the dwarves pulled back from the remains of elven territory. The High King Doren Jotnar would famously proclaim then that he would leave the defenseless trees to the elves; the dwarves would conquer the very earth itself instead. He led his people up the treacherous face of a mountain range well away from the elven borders, where winter was forever, and set to root the beginnings of the kingdom of Jotnar at its very peak. The dwarves had effectively isolated themselves from the others and they were all the happier for it. The belly of the mountain became their home and over the centuries they shaped its very face as they saw fit. The Crown of the World, as they called it, was carved inch by inch into magnificent columns, arches, statues and murals celebrating their history and culture. Eventually, High King Adir Kotnar would comission the construction of the Great Stair, a monumental undertaking that would bridge Jotnar with the rest of the world and provide a safe route for the "lowlanders" to travel up the mountains. The Awakening The dwarves were perhaps the least effected by first contact with humanity. A small population of dwarves did exist outside Jotnar for the sake of overseeing trade and to keep tabs on their fellow ancients. What the High King learned of humanity was through scattered letters and the occasional courier: lanky beings with a propensity for trouble, who had also incited the wrath of the elves. Perhaps this had earned them a smidgen of respect from the dwarves, who were not ones to forget the wrongs done to them. Yet when finally the elven emissaries came with requests for dwarven support, the desperation did not go unnoticed. Grudgingly, the High King ordered several battalions to descend the Stair and lend aid to the elves in what would be known as the Awakening. In the aftermath, Jotnar, which had never been overly welcoming of foreigners, became even less accessible to the outside. In time, the High King would invite human scholars and tradesmen to the Crown of the World but they were careful to ensure only a handful at a time ever walked the caverns of their beloved city. Regardless, relations between dwarf and human remained relatively peaceful if not stifled until the First War would overtake them all. The First War of the Ancients The High King did not become overly concerned with news of war until, once more, the elves reached out for help. Again, they said, the humans were taking what was not theirs - and with cunning unseen in their earlier days. Time had given them chance to grow beyond barbarian tactics and they turned the very knowledge gifted upon them against the ancients themselves. The call to arms rang out and great swathes of dwarven warriors took up axe and spear. The Great Stair, deceptively well defensible, was manned with troops in the many towers and bunkers that dotted its length. Even more warriors were sent with fearsome siege engines out into the lowlands to flank the human forces assaulting Hightree. As the months went on, not a peep arrived with regards to enemy movement towards the mountains. Jotnar was virtually impregnable, for if the grueling climb up the Stair through the cold clutches of the mountains did not kill encroaching armies, the dwarven batallions eager for blood certainly would. Day by day the High King and his forces waited, while night by night news of burning forests reached them from afar. War came upon them abruptly and without warning. An army was at the foot of the Stairs despite scout reports insisting that the mountain range was clear. The combined forces of Harracktor and Carnetrada were surging up the Stair and what had been thought as unbreachable was crumbling before the High King's eyes. It was only a matter of days until the humans were at the gates of Jotnar and in came the flood. Centuries upon centuries of the finest weaponsmithing and armor forging could not protect them against the sheer visciousness of the invading army. The warriors of Harracktor were unforgiving and merciless, butchering any and all dwarves who tried to resist them and shackling most of those that didn't. The magi of Carnetrada were even worse, for every warrior that fell regardless of loyalty would rise again as thralls to their wicked magics. An already weakened defense was utterly demoralized and the High King was left no choice but to surrender or face the complete annihilation of the dwarves. The Crown of the World was occupied for several weeks while her conquerers picked over her remains. Harracktor claimed a significant part of the surviving population as slave labor and marched them back to the lowlands in chains. The wizards butchered many more in the name of their dark god and scavenged much of the knowledge secured in the old libraries at the heart of the city. When finally the humans did leave, it left the dwarves severely depleted and unmistakably broken. The gates of Jotnar were sealed immediately after and not a soul - especially no humans - were ever welcomed there again. New Europe It was a most bitter irony that the dwarves and the elves, once enemies, would be bonded again beneath the shackles of slavery. Hightree had fallen and, under the rulers of Naturelles, a human city would be burnt over its still smoldering corpse. The dwarves, humbled and broken, would be taken to the prowling grounds of the Harracktorians. Over the years, what was once a mere fortified camp would grow into a walled city compete with a towering castle, all built on the backs of the dwarven slaves. Harracktor was not kind to their new labor force. Less compassionate than their Enconian or even Naturellean brothers, Harracktor stripped the dwarves of all the basic dignities that would befit a person. Slums and slave camps were built to house them near the rich mines and all manner of abuses took place there without a human soul to mourn them. Only the elites of Harracktor would take their pick of their "stock" as servants in their homes though many were no better there than with their brethren. It was not until King Bukoski VII that the spark of revolt would even enter their minds. A militant revolutionary by the name of Kade Duerel was able to infiltrate and incite a violent insurrection in the city of Harlequin, claiming the city as the capital of the new Dwarven Republic with the aid of the slave brothers Halim and Grimval Laft . Men were sent from Xanadu to negotiate with the rebellious dwarves but no compromise could be made in peace. Fighting broke out once more and though the dwarves managed to hold their own largely thanks to their skills in engineering and demolitions, Duerel was slain. He was replaced by the more pacifistic Hor Trunkarm and through him came the renewed hope of an end to the conflicts. Terms were drawn up between himself and King Bukoski: in exchange of the return of Harlequin to Harracktorian guard, the King would finally grant the abolishment of the enslavement of the dwarven people. Much to the surprise of the delegates involved, the treaty was kept from being ratified by opposition from Halim. He argued that without the treaty would nullify the purpose of the rebellion in the first place, and that the King could not be trusted to keep his word if the dwarves could not maintain sovereignty apart from Xanadu. The debate rolled back and forth with tensions high. Finally, weary and insulted, the King rescinded his offer and instead commanded that the rebellion be ended with the public execution of Trunkarm. The spectacle drew citizens from all over the kingdom to the gallows of Saint Angeline . With his final words, Hor Trunkarm condemned Halim for his actions: the dwarves, who had come so close to officially winning their freedom, saw it slip from between their fingers due to his refusal to relinquish Harlequin. Immediately after the execution, the King and his army marched to Harlequin to take it by force. The dwarves fought desperately but they were pathetically outnumbered. The traps and explosives they set in the path of the inbound forces simply could not tip even the slightest bit of favor their way. It is during the second battle for Harlequin that Halim Laft was killed and Grimval was able to escape the carnage. What was left of the rebellion fell quickly and with it the dwarves fell out of favor with Harracktor as a whole. Things quickly changed, however, as darkness rose in the world. Grimval Laft, recently pardoned and freed by the King as a measure of good will, quickly became a heroic figure. After being the decisive force in the fights against Artheemius Lyeench, ascending to the rank of Grandmaster of the Sacred Swords , and returning Xanadu to the hands of her people, Grimval was chosen as the new (and current) King of Harracktor - the first non-human to bear the title, and the first to break the ancient Bukoski dynasty. Culture Rundown Despite the near collapse of their civilization, dwarven culture has persevered with very little change since the earliest of their days. They are a hardy and resilient people with a natural aptitude with machinery, blacksmithing, and masonry. Jotnar was renown for its intricately carved statues and murals integrated with its various architectural features. The city as a whole is a testiment to the pride and diligence dwarves take in their work. Before the First War of the Ancients, it was often said that dwarves make the best laborers because of their deeply ingraned work ethic and desire to excel. As a matter of tradition, most dwarves learn at least a little of the basics of the forge though many of the latest generation have brached out into other fields. As a consequence with wars with outside races, Jotnar-born dwarves are typically suspicious of not outright hostile to foreign races including the so called "lowborn" dwarves born into slavery. Dwarves are very aware of bloodlines and ancestry and it is common practice among the more tradition-minded families to chart the lives of their children in accordance to what their ancestors have accomplished. There is no real 'noble' class in Jotnar but there are bloodlines seen as more prestigious than others for varying reasons. Naturally, the Jotnar family rests at the top of the cultural hierarchy and have produced kings since before the founding of the eponymous capital. Faith Deism was not especially popular until the Awakening. Much of the enslaved population were forcibly turned to Puhdaism and it has remained prevalent in successive generations. In the aftermath of the First War, however, many dwarven scholars were eager to rekindle a connection with their own ancients. Much of the old lore was lost when Carnetrada ravaged their libraries but some evidence of gods in their literature exists. Curiously, much of what has been pieced together draws many parallels to Puhdaism. Impact Historically, the dwarves have had mixed relations with all the races of Neuro. The only race with whom they have not openly warred with are the orcs, though they did send some reinforcements for the elves when the Hordes were being pushed towards the deserts. Dwarven science and engineering has, however, uplifted all the races in some way. Humans were eager to study and adapt simple machines for menial labor and the orcs, while skilled smiths in their own right, picked up many new techniques to strengthen their arms and armor. Dwarven artwork is generall well received amongst all races and tends to be quite popular among the wealthy. Divergence A notable and surprising schism exists between populations of dwarves. Those born of Jotnar are considered "pureblooded" regardless of pedigree whereas those born under slavery are called "lowblood". Dwarves have had a tendency towards xenophobia especially after repeated conflicts with foreign races. The older generations of "pureblood" dwarf have gone so far as to claim the slavery-born an alien race in itself, citing the possibility of interbreeding with their human captors. It was suggested at the end of the First War that the humans took more dwarves than they left, and so a greater population of dwarves is feared to have had their bloodlines sullied will the human taint. Category:Races